כט.

B.S.D.

It is fitting for us to understand — that it is not an empty matter, this that we have merited in this generation to such a light! We have no consolation whatsoever for the exile and the darkness that passes over us — except the merit and the power of the Torah and the holy conversations of our holy and awesome Rabbainu, may the memory of the righteous one be for a blessing: "This one will comfort us from our labor" [Genesis 5:29], etc.

Great are the deeds of Hashem — that He performed with us in this generation — that we have merited to be in his holy portion, not to oppose him, Heaven forbid. Far be it from us to forget His faithful kindnesses that He performed with us — such deep and wondrous counsels, such a revelation of Torah — such a revelation! Fortunate are the ears that hear of this — for the like of it has never been heard in the world, etc.

One must seek and request greatly after his lost things. And the lost things are mostly in a place of desolate wilderness — in a place of chaos and emptiness. And one must ensure that in the course of the search, one does not become even more lost. Therefore — anyone who wishes to have compassion upon his soul — how much strengthening he needs! Never to despair from the seeking and the searching, forever — however things may be. Even if it seems to him that he is becoming more and more lost, Heaven forbid, every time — even so he will do his own part and search more, with will and longing and yearning.

And even though he finds nothing at all — he must believe that certainly he finds a great deal through the seeking and the searching alone. For the labor and the searching alone — even all the time that one does not find — is a gain without measure, more than all the wealth of the world. All the more so we are certain that we will certainly merit to find everything in the end — if we merit to strengthen ourselves and to seek and to search always.

It is fitting for us to understand — that it is not an empty matter, this that we have merited in this generation to such a light! We have no consolation whatsoever for the exile and the darkness that passes over us — except the merit and the power of the Torah and the holy conversations of our holy and awesome Rabbainu, may the memory of the righteous one be for a blessing: "This one will comfort us from our labor" [Genesis 5:29], etc. נ נח נחמ נחמן מאומן Great are the deeds of Hashem — that He performed with us in this generation — that we have merited to be in his holy portion, not to oppose him, Heaven forbid. Far be it from us to forget His faithful kindnesses that He performed with us — such deep and wondrous counsels, such a revelation of Torah — such a revelation! Fortunate are the ears that hear of this — for the like of it has never been heard in the world, etc. One must seek and request greatly after his lost things. And the lost things are mostly in a place of desolate wilderness — in a place of chaos and emptiness. And one must ensure that in the course of the search, one does not become even more lost. Therefore — anyone who wishes to have compassion upon his soul — how much strengthening he needs! Never to despair from the seeking and the searching, forever — however things may be. Even if it seems to him that he is becoming more and more lost, Heaven forbid, every time — even so he will do his own part and search more, with will and longing and yearning. And even though he finds nothing at all — he must believe that certainly he finds a great deal through the seeking and the searching alone. For the labor and the searching alone — even all the time that one does not find — is a gain without measure, more than all the wealth of the world. All the more so we are certain that we will certainly merit to find everything in the end — if we merit to strengthen ourselves and to seek and to search always.

Israel Dov Odesser